Surprisingly tasty

[back2boats]

Fishing in Moreton bay this morning. and caught quite a few undersized squire, tusk fish, and catfish.

Some of the catfish, however, were huge. They looked so clean, bright silver and grey, the way a Barra looks in the salt compared to when they are up in the fresher waters. I have always been told they were quite edible, but tried one once from a river, and it was muddy/weedy, and not nice. These looked so good, I decided to try again, so I kept just one mid-sized catty. I bled him when he came on board in case that would help the taste. When home, I filleted him and the flesh was very pale, looked ok.

Just finished frying him up. Just egg and flour, little bit of lemon, and the flesh cooked pure white. The taste was great too! I think the bigger ones might be too dry, but this one was tasty. Great lunch :)

[Crunchy]

I ate a shovel nosed ray from the bay recently and it was surprisingly good too, not 100% on the texture but taste was good. No harm in trying heh

[back2boats]

I have eaten and enjoyed, what I called, shovel nosed shark. Presume it's much the same. Anyway, I found it just as good as any flake I've had at a fish'n'chip shop.

[StevenM]

Aussies eat tons of catfish every year.

its labled Bassa

[aussiebasser]

It can also be labeled Cod, Flake, Hake, Dory and just about anything else.........

[back2boats]

It can also be labeled Cod, Flake, Hake, Dory and just about anything else.........

Yes, and there's a whole discussion about that problem that can be had. Using "local" and invented names to disguise real ID is a pet peeve of mine.

[PixieAU]

Silver cobbler in the Kimberley

[back2boats]

Silver cobbler in the Kimberley


I like that name for it !!

[Dignity]

It is a slightly fatty flesh and goes really well smoked. In WA if you threw a cattie back they would think your were stupid.

[McKnight]

Shovel nose sharks are quite nice to eat but I found them a bit of a pain to fillet and skin.

[back2boats]

It is a slightly fatty flesh and goes really well smoked. In WA if you threw a cattie back they would think your were stupid.

Interesting that WA likes them.

[back2boats]

Shovel nose sharks are quite nice to eat but I found them a bit of a pain to fillet and skin.


Need to sharpen the knife for the skin, for sure.

[McKnight]

Need to sharpen the knife for the skin, for sure.

Yeah I really need to hone my sharpening skills.

[back2boats]

Yeah I really need to hone my sharpening skills.


Oh dear :(

[Crunchy]

You need to sharpen up your act McKnight

[Floating Rib]

We have eaten the ones we have caught way offshore in Darwin, nice clean fish compared to the bog monsters in the billabongs, freshness and prep can make a diff to many so called "not good eating species"

[back2boats]

We have eaten the ones we have caught way offshore in Darwin, nice clean fish compared to the bog monsters in the billabongs, freshness and prep can make a diff to many so called "not good eating species"

Sounds like the clean ones I have been getting. Prep wise, I just bleed them when caught, and fillet them leaving the gut intact (keeps the flesh nice and clean), then skin them. All the smell and sliminess is left behind, and a nice fillet of fish remains. I have only eaten them fresh so far, don't know about freezing.

[madmaskbass]

So just to be clear are you talking about a few different species of catfish...i think... In North qld and I'm sure in other places. Never caught one in brissy though. You can catch what's called salmon catfish that look very different to the dirty old creek ones. These fish have much sharper nose and much lighter color and pull like a truck. These are the fish they call cobbler and are rated as fairly good chewing. This might explain the variances. To be honest I still throw them back but do love catching them for fun when chasing grunter. I have seen them filleted the flesh looks pale and firm. An islander bloke I know loves them as he shapes the head bone into a cross and loves eating them. I might try it one day but it's still slimy bloody catfish.

[back2boats]

So just to be clear are you talking about a few different species of catfish...i think... In North qld and I'm sure in other places. Never caught one in brissy though. You can catch what's called salmon catfish that look very different to the dirty old creek ones. These fish have much sharper nose and much lighter color and pull like a truck. These are the fish they call cobbler and are rated as fairly good chewing. This might explain the variances. To be honest I still throw them back but do love catching them for fun when chasing grunter. I have seen them filleted the flesh looks pale and firm. An islander bloke I know loves them as he shapes the head bone into a cross and loves eating them. I might try it one day but it's still slimy bloody catfish.

I believe the ones we get are called Lesser Salmon catfish, or fork-tailed catfish, or blue catfish

[Scalem]

Catfish don't make it in the boat, I cut them off and they can have the hook. Still traumatised from being stuck by one of their side fins many years ago, they hurt like hell! It's nice to be able to say I am not desperate enough for a feed of catfish when there are snapper and sweet lip on offer in the same areas.

Scalem


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[scorpo92]

Catfish don't make it in the boat, I cut them off and they can have the hook. Still traumatised from being stuck by one of their side fins many years ago, they hurt like hell! It's nice to be able to say I am not desperate enough for a feed of catfish when there are snapper and sweet lip on offer in the same areas.

Scalem


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I 2nd this. Bloody spikes

[back2boats]

Certainly when I catch better fish, I only keep a couple of catties for the crab pots. They do catch very tasty sandcrabs :)

[back2boats]

Oh, and just to add, I always grab them with a lipgrip before they come over the side. I also nip off the spikes with sidecutters later, so I don't get spiked, and so they don't get snagged on the bait pouch in the crab pot.

[fairpractice]

HI. There's got to be a bag limit, if they taste so good. Any idea what it is ? Cheers john

[back2boats]

Yeah, it's 20.

[FNQCairns]

Years ago, 28years or so.....sugar! in my older teens/early 20s, my best mate a good hearted bloke and hard worker found himself with family that he still has by the way and being of the age where money simply doesn't exist, found him I and often his toddler fishing and crabbing just to the west on the northern shore of the pine rivers highway bridge at least 3 times a week after work till dark.

We would throw mudcrab pots and then fish small for whatever and if interested enough throw a dog chain out also with a custom made oversized hook (he was an in training boilermaker) from the back of the tow bar of one of the cars for the excitement of pulling a big shark then letting it go 9/10...got some awesome shark over time.

Anyway to help feed the family we where happy with any fork tailed catfish landed, I would help clean/fillet/skin and then donate my catch, rays also believe it or not....bastards to prepare though. His wife would often cook up in just cornflower with a few veg etc, I happily ate it many times at their table...it's good food. At least half their weekly evening feeds was some catfish included recipe....the ray was left for lack of food crunch times I think.

Sometimes we would come across a well older bloke on the same landing loading his boat, he was professionally net fishing for catfish, his boat would hold one hundred of them more often than not.

He sold them on market as blue eye cod to the end consumer as a fillet...gotta love it.

I think that marketed name has changed but all those that enjoyed their feed of Blue Eye Cod each time and kept coming back would have been none the wiser and happy with the feed.

Way way back in darker times England...Lobster was a rubbish food only good for and reserved for slaves and servants by the elite.

Who today would in modern society be so un-entitled as to feed their family off their own back and time in any way like this?....a charity voucher for supermarket food would be the highest level of character they might muster in-between the next episode of AU got talent/big brother...etc.

...sorry that's the getting closer and closer to a proper old coot coming out in me.

Fork tailed catfish...is good food in the real world.

cheers

[BLOOEY]

Pretty sure madmaskbass is onto it here. Those big silvery ones in the bay are a different variety and pull really well. I lived near bunbury WA as a kid and silver cobbler as mentioned above was indeed a popular catch. Ben

[aussie9]

If we are talking fork tail catties. Try fishing in Wivenhoe
There must be 50 bazzillion in there. Lures. Fresh bait. It doesn't matter what you use


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[Stik-ugly]

Mcnight just cut them into steaks and cook them with the skin on when ready to eat the skin just peels off easily